Brassiere with elastic support tapes



June 1, 1965 w. KURLAND 3,186,412

BRASSIERE WITH ELASTIC SUPPORT TAPES Filed Sept. 18, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR William Kurlond BY ATTORNEY June 1, 1965 w. KURLAND BRASSIERE WITH ELASTIC SUPPORT TAPES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1963 m 8 .mm no no m ATTORNEY INVENTOR William Kurlund United States Patent 3,186,412 BRASSIERE WITH ELASTIC SUPPORT TAPES William Kurlaud, Great Neck, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lily of France, Inc., New Haven, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 309,602 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-483) This invention relates to an undergarment and more specifically to a brassiere for supporting and effectively molding the figure of a wearer to assure a more youthful appearance.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a brassiere provided with elastic means for effectively anchoring the garment to the body of a wearer in order to prevent slipping and sliding thereof, and which will in no way distort the figure.

Another object of this invention is the provision of elastic means in a brassiere which will insure a continuous snug yet yieldable engagement of the garment along all areas of the body against which it is disposed.

A further object herein is the provision of a brassiere which will conform to the configuration of the body of a wearer while responsive to movement thereof, and which will additionally be maintained in position without excessive tension of straps upon the shoulders.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which will be comfortable to the wearer and allow freedom of movement while providing proper support, confinement and separation even of a pendulous breast.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a brassiere having means which will effectively minimize slipping and gapping especially of a garment provided with a low back.

The above and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of the invention as illustrated in the drawing, wherein like characters designate like parts in the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a bandeau type brassiere constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the brassiere shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a long line type of brassiere constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the brassiere shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a brassiere 16, of the bandeau type having a pair of bust cups 11, 12 fabricated of a uitable non-stretch fabric. The outer edge of each bust cup 11, 12 is secured to the edge of a body-encircling band 13, 14, respectively, extending around the sides and back of the wearer.

A pair of extensible elastic edging bands 15, 16 are secured by stitching along the bottom edge of bodyencircling bands 14, 13, respectively, and extend along the lower edge of cups 12, 11, respectively, then cross each other at the center line of the brassiere where they are secured against sliding relative to each other by stitching 17. Said bands 15, 16 then extend along the inner edges of the upper part of bust cups, 11, 12, respectively, and further extend upwardly to form shoulder strap portions 15a, 16a, respectively, thence continuing as edging along the upper edges of body-encircling bands 13 and 14, respectively, and terminating at the outer ends thereof. Tabs 18, 18' provided with fastening means such as hooks 19 and eyes 19 are provided at the terminal ends of bands 15, 16 to secure the body-encircling structure at the rear of the wearer. An elastic segment 20 ice joining elastic bands 15, 16 at a point along the inner edges of the lower part of bust cups 11, 12 are provided for enhancing the separation of the breasts of the wearer of the brassiere 10. A plush elastic tab 21 on the undersurface of the shoulder strap portions 15a, 16a substantially at the peak thereof is provided for additional resiliency of bands 15, 16 in order to prevent curling of such bands, and to insure additional resiliency thereto especially where the wearer is endowed with pendulous busts.

In a long-line type of brassiere 50, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 bust cups 51, 52 are secured to bodyencircling bands 53, 54 along the outer edges thereof. Said body-encircling bands are provided with tabs, 55, 55' having fastening means such as hooks 56 and eyes 56' at the terminal ends thereof for engagement to form a bodyencircling structure. Below each of said bust cups 51, 52 and separated therefrom by elastic bands 60, 61 as presently to be described, there is provided a diaphragm portion 57 secured along the vertical edges thereof to body-encircling bands 53, 54, respectively, to form a longline type of brassiere 50.

Elastic band 60 is secured along the lower edge of bust cup 52 and the upper edge of the right side of diaphragm portion 57 so as to be interposed therebetween and extends from body-encircling band 54 to the center line of the brassiere 50. Similarly elastic band 61 is secured along the lower edge of bust cup 51 and the upper edge of the left side diaphragm portion 57 so as to be interposed therebetween and extends from body-encircling band 54 to the center line of brassiere 50. Bands 60 and 61 then cross each other at the aforementioned center-line of the brassiere where they are secured against sliding relative to each other, by stitching 62, and extend along the inner edge of the upper part of cups 51, 52, respectively, and further extend upwardly to form shoulder strap portions 60a, 61a, thence continue along the upper edge of bodyencircling bands 53, 54 and terminate at the rear of the brassiere at tabs 55, 55, respectively. A plush elastic tab 63 is provided upon the undersurface of bands 60, 61 substantially in the shoulder portion thereof in order to provide additional resilience to said bands [at the shoulder portion 60a, 61a thereof.

It is evident that the foregoing construction will provide complete support to the breasts of a wearer while allowing freedom of movement of the body so that stress and/or movement affecting one bust is not transmitted to the other.

It is understood that various modifications and adaptations may be made with respect to the embodiments herein described without constituting a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as herein described and defined.

I claim:

1. A foundation garment of the type generally known as a brassiere, comprising in combination:

(a) a pair of breast receiving pockets disposed generally forwardly thereof, each of said pockets having an upper and inner edge, a lower edge, and .an outer perimeter;

(b) a pair of body-encircling bands secured to said breast receiving pockets at the outer perimeter thereof, each of said bands having an outer edge disposed at the rear of said garment, and a bottom edge extending generally annularly from the outer perimeter of the pockets, and terminating at the outer edge of the bands; and

(c) a pair of open mesh elastic tapes, the tapes being secured to the upper edges of the body-encircling bands at the outer edge thereof [and serving as an edging thereto, and extending generally upwardly therefrom to define shoulder straps, and the tapes further extending generally downwardly along and secured to the upper inner edges of the breast receiving pockets, crossing one another at the center of the garment and being attached at the crossing point between the pockets, a diaphragm portion secured at its upper edge to the tapes below the crossing point, said tapes interposed between the breast receiving pockets and the diaphragm portion, each of said tapes secured at its upper edge to the lower edge of [a breast receiving pocket and at its lower edge to the upper edge of the diaphragm portion, and then along the bottom edges of the bands, terminating generally rearwardly of the garment at the outer edge thereof.

2. A foundation garment of the type generally known as a brassiere, comprising in combination:

(a) a pair of breast receiving pockets disposed generally forwardly thereof, each of said pockets having an upper inner edge, a lower edge, and an outer straps extending downwardly along the outer edges of the body-encircling bands and secured thereto, and the tapes further extending generally downwardly along and secured to the upper inner edges of the breast receiving pockets, crossing one another at the center of the garment and being attached at the crossing point between the pockets, a diaphragm portion secured at its upper edge to the tapes below the crossing point, the tapes interposed between the breast receiving pockets and the diaphragm portion, and secured at their upper edges to the lower edge of each of the breast receiving pockets and at their lower edges to the upper edge of the diaphragm portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Parimeter 2,016,516 10/35 Robbins 128451 (b) a pair of body encircling bands, each of said body 2 2 5 l {55555 encircling bands being of such dimensional extent 5/40 Malm-ck 128483 as to encompass a substantial portion of the upper 3,066:676 12/62 Kaupp 128493 a? h 5 f the g s 3 bounded 3,120,848 2/64 Seperack 123-510 y orwar e ges, owe're ges an ou ere ges;

(c) a pair of open'mesh elastic tapes, the tapes being FOREIGN PATENTS secured to the upper edges of the body encircling 1, 1/ 54 Fran ebands at the outer edge thereof and serving as an edging thereto, and extending generally upwardly therefrom to define shoulder straps, said shoulder ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. LOUIS R. PRINCE, Examiner. 

1. A FOUNDATION GARMENT OF THE TYPE GENERALLY KNOWN AS A BRASSIERE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A PAIR OF BREAST RECEIVING POCKETS DISPOSED GENERALLY FORWARDLY THEREOF, EACH OF SAID POCKETS HAVING AN UPPER AND INNER EDGE, A LOWER EDGE, AND AN OUTER PERIMETER; (B) A PAIR OF BODY-ENCIRCLING BANDS SECURED TO SAID BREAST RECEIVING POCKETS AT THE OUTER PERIMETER THEREOF, EACH OF SAID BANDS HAVING AN OUTER EDGE DISPOSED AT THE REAR OF SAID GARMENT, AND A BOTTOM EDGE EXTENDING GENERALLY ANNULARLY FROM THE OUTER PERIMETER OF THE POCKETS, AND TERMINATING AT THE OUTER EDGE OF THE BANDS; AND (C) A PAIR OF OPEN MESH ELASTIC TAPES, THE TAPES BEING SECURED TO THE UPPER EDGES OF THE BODY-ENCIRCLING BANDS AT THE OUTER EDGE THEREOF AND SERVING AS AN EDGING THERETO, AND EXTENDING GENERALLY UPWARDLY THEREFROM TO DEFINE SHOULDER STRAPS, AND THE TAPES FURTHER EXTENDING GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY ALONG AND SECURED TO THE UPPER INNER EDGES OF THE BREAST RECEIVING POCKETS, CROSSING ONE ANOTHER AT THE CENTER OF THE GARMENT AND BEING ATTACHED AT THE CROSSING POINT BETWEEN THE POCKETS, A DIAPHRAGM PORTION SECURED AT ITS UPPER EDGE TO THE TAPES BELOW THE CROSSING POINT, SAID TAPES INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE BREAST RECEIVING POCKETS AND THE DIAPHRAGM PORTION, EACH OF SAID TAPES SECURED AT ITS UPPER EDGE TO THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BREAST RECEIVING POCKET AND AT ITS LOWER EDGE TO THE UPPER EDGE OF THE DIAPHRAGM PORTION, AND THEN ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE BANDS, TERMINATING GENERALLY REARWARDLY OF THE GARMENT AT THE OUTER EDGE THEREOF. 